An Independent MP has wondered aloud how Singaporeans manage to feel secure without their government having to spend millions of dollars to inform them that they are safe from criminal activity.

NONE In Malaysia, however, the government is spending big to manage public perceptions of safety, noted Wee Choo Keong (Independent-Wangsa Maju, left ) in a supplementary question to Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He asked how the government plans to address the public fear of crime, even though the authorities have claimed that the crime rate is at an all time low.

Hishamuddin said the government will continue to engage with the public and address their "current expectations" by managing the shifting goal-posts of priorities and challenges until such a time that the public feels safe.

He had earlier said that street crime and index crime have indeed been reduced to manageable levels, but that agencies under his ministry will not on their laurels until the people perceive this as well.

hishammuddin hussein dang wangi police station pc 2 Wee had asked if the ministry plans to address other types of crime that are not currently listed in the relevant National Key Results Area under the Government Transformation Programme.

Without directly answering this, Hishammuddin (right) said the ministry will continue to use "out of the box" solutions toward crime reduction.

He reminded the House that the police force does not have the funds to expand its resources and therefore has to use stopgap measures, including the use of the People's Volunteer Corps and the Civil Defence Department to strengthen its presence on the ground.

However, with the Budget 2013 allocations, more police personnel can be recruited, he added.

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